The subject invention relates to a method for maintaining mailpiece integrity in a mailing machine which assembles the mailpiece. More particularly, it relates to a method for automatically recovering from mechanical errors in a mailing machine without operator intervention.
Mailing machines that assemble a plurality of documents for insertion into an envelope are known in the art. Such machines typically comprise: feeder modules for feeding sheets into a mailpiece, envelope modules for feeding an envelope, and inserter modules for inserting mailpieces into the envelope. In using mailing machines, there are various types of errors that can occur. The difficulty of correcting the error and maintaining the integrity of the mailpiece poses a serious problem. The error becomes further complicated if the mailing machine job consists of a matched mail application wherein identification codes on a control document are compared with identification codes on inserted documents to assure that documents are properly matched. In prior art mailing machines, mailpiece integrity was maintained during error recovery by requiring the operator to remove all mailpieces in process from the mailing machine. Operator intervention to correct the errors was often extensive, time consuming, and produced a waste of paper.